if reagan were not president, hootsuld not be worth two as a minority." was this a new tactic? guest: to some extent, yes. the use of the floor for messaging purposes got its start in the late 70's, early 80's. it was republicans that initiated that. one thing that is important about the quote, everybody assumes the minority party cares about being in the majority. that is what matters most to them. but one of the important arguments i make in the book, presidential politics matter as well. while michael is feeling some pressure from members of his party -- we need reagan. we are republicans. we have to work together. that gives us more leverage and influence. host: you have a cartoon in your book about obama reaching out his hand right after the election. and a fist from house republicans. the most mileage from that seem to be mitch mcconnell. it worked well for democrats to repeat that line over and over again. guest: there is a balancing act that minority parties have to play. they may disagree with the president of the opposite party. they don't feel an obligation to help h